Ukraine announces ceasefire from midnight on May 5-6
Updated
Updated · Reuters · May 4
Ukraine announces ceasefire from midnight on May 5-6
13 articles · Updated · Reuters · May 4
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the pause would start at 00:00 and gave no end time, adding Kyiv would act "symmetrically" from that moment.
He said Russia had ignored Ukraine's calls for a ceasefire, but Kyiv was proceeding because human life mattered more than any anniversary celebration.
The move comes alongside Russia's separate unilateral truce for May 8-9 ahead of Victory Day, with the two sides declaring competing ceasefires in the fourth year of war.
Is Russia’s Victory Day truce a peace gesture or a pretext for a massive, pre-planned assault on Kyiv?
Does a downsized Moscow parade reveal the true impact of Ukraine's drone strikes deep inside Russian territory?
Russia’s May 8-9 Unilateral Ceasefire Threatens Kyiv with Massive Missile Strikes as Violence Continues
Overview
In early May 2026, Russia announced a unilateral ceasefire for Victory Day (May 8-9) but simultaneously threatened a massive missile strike on Kyiv if Ukraine disrupted the celebrations, urging civilians and diplomats to evacuate. Ukraine rejected this offer and proposed its own ceasefire for May 5-6, focusing on humanitarian needs. Despite these declarations, violence continued fiercely, with Russian strikes killing civilians and Ukraine launching attacks deep into Russian territory, causing widespread damage and power outages. The ongoing war, now in its fourth year, has led to a stalemate, stalled international negotiations, and deepened global divisions, while civilian suffering and infrastructure destruction persist unabated.